Ephesians 6:18-19
With every prayer and request, pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be alert with all perseverance and every request for all the saints,19 and pray in my behalf, that speech may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel.
In Ephesians 6:18-19, we see Paul asking the Ephesians to pray for others and to be alert to their requests. We also notice that Paul does not ask for any kind of physical or material requests; rather, his prayer request was related to his sharing the Gospel. Paul gives us a template and a guide for believers to learn and practice.
When we pray, it is also useful to recall some fundamental truths about God:
1. God is all-knowing. Therefore, He knows better than us, regarding what we need.
2. God is perfect. He does not need anything from us in order to accomplish His Will and purpose.
3. God causes all things for good to those who love Him (Romans 8:28). God does NOT need our prayers to provide us what we need.
Given all these truths about God, why then are we still supposed to pray and to do so unceasingly (1 Thessalonians 5:17)? One purpose of prayer is to remind us that we are dependent on God’s grace. When we submit our petitions to the Lord, we declare our dependence on Him to guide and empower us in the face of trials and challenges.
We also pray so that we can think about others, rather than only ourselves. Praying for others develops in us a caring attitude, and we are prompted to think about their needs. And when we tell them that we are praying for them, we become a source of encouragement to them because they will know that people care enough for them to pray for God.
But what happens when our prayers are not answered by God according to what we pray for? If this happens, then our prayers become a test of faith, and how we react will give us an idea of our spiritual growth and level of faith in Him. We are taught to consider God’s reasons for why this was so. Again, we must remember that God works for our good. Eventually, we realize the wisdom of God in answering our prayers according to what He wants. We learn about His Will and purpose for us. And maybe, we learn, how we are supposed to pray that will be in accordance with is divine Will.
How is your prayer life today? Are you already giving more time in thanking God for His blessings and to work in the lives of others? Do you also ask God to guide you to live according to Will and purpose for you?
May we be encouraged to look at prayer in a new way, one that not only allows us to experience God’s presence in our life, but also to guide us into serving God and aligns with His amazing plans for us.
